QUEBEC CITY, Dec. 22, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - EXFO Inc. (NASDAQ: EXFO) (TSX: EXF) announced today that its FIP-435B fully automated wireless fiber inspection probe was recognized among the best in the industry by the judges of the Cabling Installation & Maintenance 2015 Innovators Awards program. The judging panel consisted of cabling and communications system specifiers, designers, integrators and managers with vast professional experience.

EXFO Inc. was recognized as a Gold honoree.

"On behalf of the Cabling Installation & Maintenance Innovator Awards, I would like to congratulate EXFO Inc. on their Gold-level honoree status," said Cabling Installation & Maintenance Group Publisher Alan Bergstein. "This competitive, unbiased program celebrates the most innovative projects in the structured cabling industry. We are pleased to celebrate EXFO's Gold status and recognize their innovation and contribution to the structured cabling industry."

By simply connecting the FIP-435B to a fiber connector, this probe automatically detects the connection, locates and centers the fiber image, adjusts and optimizes the focus to its optimal level, then captures, runs the pass/fail analysis as per selected standards and even saves and reports the results. The whole process takes just slightly longer than cleaning a connector port, enabling inspection of any optical port without adding extra delays to project timelines. Thanks to its Wi-Fi connectivity and ConnectorMax2 mobile application, smartphone or tablet users can turn their device into a full-fledged fiber inspection solution, without any compromise on functionality or results accuracy. However, with the LED indicator on the probe immediately giving the pass/fail verdict for the connector endface, now even looking at the smart device screen becomes optional.

"We developed the FIP-435B with fiber-to-the-antenna (FTTA) applications in mind. Tower crews usually more familiar with copper or RF technology can quickly level up on fiber testing and perform tests with only the FIP-435B in hand, leaving their smartphone in their pocket," said Stephane Chabot, Vice-President of EXFO's Physical-Layer Division. "Ultimately, we saw how such an automated and wireless tool can really benefit anyone working around fiber, including network engineers and IT managers working in data centers or enterprise networks, where dirty or damaged connectors represent one of the main source of network problems and where streamlining the test process and guaranteeing doing it right-the-first-time, can help save precious OPEX handling time. We are happy that our innovative approach to fiber inspection got the recognition it deserves."

For further details about EXFO's other industry recognitions, visit the Awards and Recognitions section on EXFO.com.

About the Cabling Installation & Maintenance 2015 Innovators Awards programThe Cabling Installation & Maintenance 2015 Innovators Awards program reviews and recognizes the most innovative applications of cabling and communications technology products and systems within the structured cabling industry. Platinum, Gold and Silver Honorees were announced at BICSI's 2015 Fall Conference in Las Vegas on Monday, September 21, 2015. Criteria used in the Innovators Awards ranking included: innovation, value, sustainability, collaboration, and impact.

About EXFOEXFO enables extraordinary experiences on global networks. Our test, service assurance and network visibility solutions allow fixed, mobile and web-scale operators, as well as network equipment manufacturers, to deliver a wealth of services to consumers, while increasing network capacity and reducing operating costs. From a company executive holding a telepresence meeting with overseas staff to a runner transferring data from wearable technology, EXFO's inherent expertise and advanced analytics render these events commonplace. Simply put, we have evolved over our 30-year history to ensure unmatched network performance and service experience quality on next-generation networks. EXFO has a staff of approximately 1500 people in 25 countries, supporting more than 2000 customers worldwide. For more information, visit www.EXFO.com and follow us on the EXFO Blog, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+ and YouTube.